Flora Cantábrica

Tweet

Saint Lucy
Martyr
Year 304
Blessed Saint Lucy: grant us from heaven that God may send us his light so that we may always see
what we should do, say, and avoid, and do it, say it, and always avoid it. Lucy means «she who carries light.»
This saint is depicted holding a tray with two eyes, because ancient traditions narrated that her eyes were gouged out for proclaiming her faith in Jesus Christ.
She was born and died in Syracuse (a city in Italy), where a tombstone from the year 380 has been found that reads: «N. N. Died on the feast day of Saint Lucy, for whom there is no sufficient praise.» In Rome, she was highly honored as early as the 6th century, and Pope Saint Gregory named two women’s convents he founded after her (in the year 590).
They say that when she was very young, she made a vow or oath to God to always remain pure and virginal, but when she reached her youth, her mother (who was a widow) wanted to marry her off to a young pagan. During those days, her mother became seriously ill, and Lucia told her: «Let’s go on a pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint Agatha. And if the saint obtains her healing, she will grant me permission not to marry.» Her mother accepted the proposal. They went to the saint’s tomb, and the healing occurred instantly. From that day on, Lucia was granted permission not to marry, and the money she had saved for the wedding she spent helping the poor.
But the young man who was to marry her arranged revenge by accusing her before the governor that she was a Christian, which was strictly prohibited in those times of persecution. And Lucia was summoned to trial.
The judge began questioning her and tried to convince her to stop being a Christian. She replied: «It’s useless for you to insist. You will never be able to separate me from the love of my Lord Jesus Christ.»
The judge asked her, «And if we subject her to torture, will she be able to resist?»
The young girl replied, «Yes, because those of us who believe in Christ and strive to lead a pure life have the Holy Spirit living within us and giving us strength, intelligence, and courage.»
The judge threatened to have her taken to a house of prostitution to be disrespected. She replied, «Even if the body is disrespected, the soul is not defiled if it neither accepts nor consents to evil.» (Saint Thomas Aquinas, the great sage, greatly admired this response of Saint Lucy’s.)
They tried to take her to a house of wickedness, but she remained motionless where she was, and several men were unable to move her. They tormented her, and with a blow to her back, they cut off her head.
While they tormented her, she encouraged those present to remain faithful to the religion of Jesus Christ until death.
For centuries it has been widely invoked to cure eye diseases.
Enviar comentarios
Paneles laterales
Historial
Guardado